AntiStatic – Development of an Antistatic Composite Pipe System for Aerospace Applications via Pulbraiding

The pultrusion process, although well-established for manufacturing endless fibre-reinforced composites, is not widely used in the aerospace industry. The AntiStatic project aims to enhance its application in the aerospace sector by developing a composite fuel pipe system for aircraft. The straight pipe sections are manufactured with PulBraiding, a continuous and cost-effective production process for profiles with a tailored composition of layers and continuous off-axis reinforcement. Composite pipes made of glass fibres and epoxy resin offer significant advantages due to their high corrosion resistance and lightweight properties. To enable the use of these composite pipes for fluid transport applications, a certain level of electrical conductivity must be achieved. This is accomplished by incorporating conductive fillers based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the epoxy resin, thereby allowing the conductivity to be adjusted to the required range. This paper investigates the potential of the PulBraiding process to manufacture antistatic fuel pipes for aviation, targeting key aerospace specifications such as pressure resistance, impact tolerance, and specific resistance. Through comprehensive testing, the study emphasizes the pipes´ impact tolerance, static and dynamic pressure resistance, and chemical and temperature resilience to meet stringent aerospace specifications. Prior research confirmed the achievement of necessary specific resistance and surface roughness properties. Additionally, pressure tests and chemical resistance assessments yielded excellent results, further supporting the pipes´ suitability for aerospace applications.